FO2.5: Acknowledgements and Introduction
(Place holder for Acknowledgements) Introduction War... War Never Changes. - The Fallout Series Tagline What would you do if you were to survive the end of the world? All the amenities of the modern day, a mere memory as you traverse the bombed out nuclear wastes. The fallout is intense, beasts grow beyond their limits and humans begin to deform and warp into vastly different creatures from their old world forms. Meanwhile, secrets from the governing bodies of old, now defunct, are beginning to creep from the corners of the new civilization. What is a man to do? Do you hide, keep quiet, and hope you survive? Or do you grab a gun, forget the bubble gum and go kick some ass?! The answer to that question is, in a way, your first step into the world of Fallout. Now, chances are, if you're reading this book, you have some basic understanding of Fallout. The world, the concept and so forth. But you just never know when someone new is gonna mosey on up to the table, who has absolutely no idea about what's going on but want to dive right into the action. So really, this section is to make that guy understand what's going on in a hurry, and so that the game master can keep things running smoothly while not having to stop every three seconds to explain what a rad scorpion is. Fallout takes place in an alternative universe, similar to our world in some ways, but vastly different to most. In this alternative universe, technology progressed in a very different and very weird way. Political tensions rise globally, the US Annexed Canada, the United Nations dissolves and China and the United States go into a furious arms race to attempt to overtake each other. No one quite remembers how it ended, exactly, at least, not anyone in the United States. All we know is that on one chilly November morning in the year 2077, everything came crashing to a halt. The Great Cleansing, the Atomic Spark. The Great War. Humanity was crushed, and the world fell silent. The cities of the old world are gone, and all that remain are a lucky few that survived, having been lucky enough to make it into the massive underground Vaults. And as most of mankind wallowed away the years, the world above changed. Fallout, and all the stories surrounding, take place any time after this great war, although most commonly don't begin until at least fifty years after the event. The central portion of the series takes place in Southern Nevada and California, although there have been stories in Texas and Washington D.C. For this book, we will focus on the central settings of Fallout and Fallout 2. Be it once a month, or two to three times a week, a one on one session, or a party of eight and a game master, Fallout is an accommodating setting to play in. A small band of heroes set out to slay the Rad Scorpion Menace tormenting their town. A single fiend is exiled from his home and amasses power to return and overthrow them. Be it a single adventure, or a campaign that sends heroes to the far corners of the country. This is Fallout, a Post Nuclear Role Playing Game.